Phillip Johnston

Phillip Johnston's Big Trouble is the first album of Big Trouble, the band saxophonist Phillip Johnston started around 1991 after years of touring with The Microscopic Septet. It was recorded in June and July 1992 at Water Music Recorders in Hoboken, mixed in August at East Side Sound in New York and released by Black Saint in 1993. On his own site Johnston describes the band's book as originals and covers in his arrangements, plus music by members of the group. Big Trouble went on to make one more album for Black Saint and one for Avant, and played his score for Tod Browning's silent film The Unknown.

Johnston plays soprano and alto saxophones, with Jim Leff on trombone, Bob DeBellis on soprano and baritone saxophones and bass clarinet, Joe Ruddick on keyboards and sampler, Dave Hofstra on bass and tuba and Kevin Norton on drums, marimba and glockenspiel, with guest guitarists, a second tuba and percussion on some tracks. Johnston co-produced with Richard Dworkin, Jon Rosenberg engineered and Kevin Whitehead wrote the notes. The covers reach back through the jazz tradition: two tunes by Herbie Nichols, Step Tempest and 12 Bars, Steve Lacy's Hemline, and Raymond Scott's Powerhouse to close. Norton contributes Walking The Dogma and DeBellis Nudididity. Johnston's own pieces include the opener The Invisible World, the ten-minute Chillbone and two linked pairs, Natural Confusion / Waltz Of The Untouched and The Hymn Of The Souls Who Are Passing / Still Water, the latter the longest track at over eleven minutes.

This is the Black Saint CD 120152-2, first released in 1993, ten tracks running about 65 minutes.